Glossary Index

A hoof abscess is a painful pocket of infection inside the hoof. It can make a horse suddenly very lame, sometimes almost overnight. It can look dramatic, but once properly diagnosed it is often treatable with help from your vet and/or farrier.

An acute injury is something that happens suddenly, such as a slip, strain, kick or wound. Sudden lameness, swelling, heat or reluctance to bear weight should be taken seriously and discussed with your vet.

Arthritis, or osteoarthritis, means longer-term change, inflammation or wear within a joint. It can cause stiffness, discomfort, reduced performance or lameness, and may be more noticeable before the horse has warmed up.

Asymmetry means the horse is moving differently from one side to the other, or from one limb to another. It can be one of the clues vets look for when assessing subtle lameness or monitoring change over time.

A behaviour change is any shift in your horse's normal attitude or responses, such as reluctance, tension, resentment or feeling less willing. It does not prove lameness, but discomfort can sometimes show as behaviour before an obvious limp appears.

Biometric gait analysis uses specialist systems or sensors to measure how evenly a horse moves. It can help detect small movement differences that are hard to judge by eye, especially in subtle or complicated lameness cases.

A bone scan, or nuclear scintigraphy, is a specialist imaging technique that helps identify areas of increased bone activity, sometimes called hot spots. It can be useful when the source of lameness is hard to pinpoint.

A bounding digital pulse is a stronger-than-normal pulse felt near the fetlock or pastern. It can be a clue that there is pain or inflammation in the foot, such as with a hoof abscess or laminitis.

A circle or lungeing assessment means watching the horse move on a circle, usually on both reins and sometimes on different surfaces. Some lameness shows more clearly on a circle than in a straight line.

Cold therapy means cooling an area with water or ice as part of basic first aid, usually to help manage heat, swelling or discomfort while seeking advice. Always follow your vet's guidance, especially if lameness is severe or there is a wound.

Compensation is when a horse changes how they move to avoid discomfort somewhere else. This can make lameness confusing, because the most obvious movement change is not always the original source of pain.

Conformation means the way a horse is built, including limb shape, balance and overall structure. It can influence how a horse moves and may be considered by your vet as part of the wider lameness picture.